Simulated Practice: Using Socially-Responsive Avatars to Prepare STEM Graduate Teaching Assistants for Student-Centered Instruction

TeachLive是一个混合现实的课堂模拟器，通过它，受训教师可以练习与扮演不同现实角色的虚拟学生小组互动。该项目的受训教师是研究生教学助理(GTA)，他们越来越多地为大型招生机构的本科生入门课程提供指导。目前GTA培训的程度因机构而异，最典型的情况是学习一般的教学最佳做法，很少或根本没有实际实践，并得到大师的反馈。GTA经常被雇佣来教学生，而他们自己还在学习教学。大多数STEM GTA及其本科生将受益于更有针对性的指导，指导如何在其学科范围内利用高影响力的实践和教学内容知识吸引学生。TeachLive模拟器为为GTA提供高质量培训的问题提供了一个很有前途的基于技术的解决方案。TeachLive培训为实践教学提供了一种实时响应机制，并有望比其他助教培训策略(研讨会、短期课程等)更有效，后者提供的反馈(实时或非实时)不足以有效。GTA将安全地实施循证教学的课程材料将利用四个不同STEM领域的概念清单：化学、数学、物理和计算机科学。在过去，TeachLive平台已被开发并成功地用于培训K-12教师，使其能够更有效地描述和解释问题，并更好地识别学生的误解。这一项目的动机是当前实践中的两个缺陷。首先，大多数GTA接受的是基本的教育学培训，而不是学科方面的具体培训。其次，GTA对教育培训使用的忠诚度是高度可变的，许多GTA不能成功地提供强烈的参与性学生学习体验。TeachLive模拟器承诺根据需要为每个特定的GTA量身定做练习。

"TeachLive" is a mixed-reality classroom simulator through which teacher trainees practice interacting with small groups of virtual students who take on different, realistic roles as learners. The teacher trainees in this project are Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs), who increasingly provide the instruction for introductory undergraduate courses in large enrollment institutions. The extent of current GTA training varies by institution and most typically entails learning about generalized pedagogical best practices with little or no actual practice with feedback from a master teacher. GTAs are often hired to teach students while they themselves are still learning to teach. Most STEM GTAs and their undergraduate students would benefit from more intentional instruction on how to engage students using high-impact practices and pedagogical content knowledge within their disciplines. The TeachLive simulator provides a promising technology-based solution to the problem of providing GTAs with high quality training. TeachLive training provides a real-time response mechanism to practice teaching and has the promise of being more effective than other TA training strategies (workshops, short-courses, etc.), which do not provide enough feedback (real-time or otherwise) to be effective. The curricular materials for which GTAs will safely practice evidence-based teaching will utilize concept inventories that have been developed in four different STEM fields, Chemistry, Math, Physics, and Computer Science. In the past the TeachLive platform has been developed and used successfully to train K-12 teachers to describe and explain problems more effectively and to better recognize students' misconceptions. This project is motivated by two deficiencies in current practice. First, most GTAs get basic training in pedagogy, but not specific training in their discipline. Second, GTAs' fidelity of utilization of pedagogical training is highly variable, and many of them don't succeed in providing strong engaged student learning experiences. The TeachLive Simulator has the promise of tailoring practice to each specific GTA depending on their needs.